NHL announces 2017 All-Star Game will take place in Los Angeles
NASHVILLE – The NHL is going to California for the 2017 NHL All-Star Game.
The league announced Saturday that they will have the 2017 event in Los Angeles, California at Staples Center.
The move had been intimated some time. The NHL made the official announcement Saturday before the 2016 skills competition in Nashville.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the news with several executives from the Kings on hand.
The game will take place Jan. 29 and will coincide with the Kings’ 50th anniversary season.
“We are thrilled that the Kings and Staples Center will host such a fantastic event in 2017 and the weekend will be one of the true highlights of our 50th Anniversary season,” said Los Angeles alternate governor Dan Beckerman. “We want to thank Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL for this opportunity – the second NHL All-Star Game to be played at Staples Center and the first since our LA LIVE campus opened. We will put forth all of our resources to truly make it a special game and weekend for both the hockey and sports community.”
Los Angeles has hosted All-Star games in 1981 and 2002. The 2002 game was held at Staples Center. The 1981 game was at the Great Western Forum.
Said Kings president Luc Robitaille:
“Today’s announcement is tremendous news for our fans and for our entire club. This means so much. Hockey in Southern California continues to grow at an incredible rate and this is another opportunity for the LA Kings to help grow this great game, one that we love, while also putting on a great show and giving a popular NHL event a special Los Angeles flair. Our fans are going to be thrilled – an event like this truly is a spectacle -- and it is a great way to help cap our 50th Anniversary celebration which will begin very soon.”
The Kings have won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 and have two All-Stars in this year’s game between Jonathan Quick and Drew Doughty.
MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY
- - - - - - -
Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
